This St. Patrick’s Day, the Wailea Old Blue Golf Course on Maui is the site of a golf and “extreme bocce” charity event to benefit Hospice Maui and Backpack Buddies, a program for hungry children. Backpack Buddies is actually a nationwide program for children in need. Students who sign up simply drop their backpacks off in a designated office and return at the end of the day to find their packs stuffed with a weekend’s worth of nutritious food. With so many children on reduced lunch programs, it should come as no surprise that many don’t have enough food through the weekend.

This year’s event is hosted by four civic-minded local businesspersons: Mike O'Dwyer, Patrick Kilbride (PK), Rob Manning, and Barry Helle. We asked Mr. Kilbride to give us the low-down on “extreme bocce,” and he was very obliging. A game that combines the ease of bocce with the variety and challenge of golf, extreme bocce uses the land as it is. Tree trunks, hills, rocks and whatever else all make up the course. Players can even add obstacles to the course in the form of leaf piles or sticks.

We at Beach Bocce Ball think this is a great event, and encourage anyone who can to attend. Not only does it sound like a world of fun—beautiful setting, island breezes—the event also benefits two very good causes. When you can have fun, engage the community, and help the less fortunate all at the same time, you know you’re taking care of the important things in life. So get out there and enjoy some extreme bocce.

You can find out more about this event by visiting the Hospice Maui website. The event is scheduled for this Saturday, March 17.